COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 11, 2008) - The U.S. beach volleyball team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, playing in its first international tournament of 2008, has already clinched its pool at the SWATCH-FIVB Berlin Grand Slam event in Germany on Wednesday.

Two other U.S. women's teams - Nicole Branagh (Orinda, Calif.) and Elaine Youngs (El Toro, Calif.) and Jen Boss (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.) - also won their first two pool-play matches of the day on Wednesday.

The U.S. team of Tyra Turner (Fort Meyers Beach, Fla.) and Rachel Wacholder (Laguna Beach, Calif.), who finished second last week at the GE Money Bank Mazury Open in Stare Jablonki, Poland, failed to qualify for the main draw in Germany.

The top-seeded May-Treanor (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Walsh (Santa Clara, Calif.) scored wins over teams from Austria and Russia Wednesday to secure the top spot in Pool A and a first-round "bye" for elimination play.

Eighth-seeded Boss and Ross also clinched their group with two Pool H wins Wednesday.

Third-seeded Branagh and Youngs will play 14th-ranked Okka Rau and Stephanie Pohl of Germany in Pool C on Thursday to determine the pool winner as both teams are undefeated.

In the men's tournament, the U.S. team of Stein Metzger (Honolulu, Hawai'i) and Mark Williams (Los Angeles, Calif.) failed to qualify for the main draw on Wednesday. Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.); Jake Gibb (Bountiful, Utah) and Sean Rosenthal (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Matt Fuerbringer (Costa Mesa, Calif.) and Casey Jennings (Las Vegas, Nev.) will all begin pool play in the main draw on Thursday.